System for facilitating drive up order fulfillment

Abstract

A network based order fulfillment systems having an improved user interface at both a customer device and at an order fulfillment location employee device. Both customer and employee devices scan collect user input and other information using one or more sensors of the user devices to provide proper notifications to both the customer and the employee based on the actions of each. Location information for a customer computing device can be used to continually update ETA and time since arrival information displayed at the employee's computing device.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
 receiving, by a first computing device, a first communication indicating that a second computing device has begun to travel toward an order fulfillment location; 
 receiving, by the first computing device, information indicating an estimated time until arrival at the order fulfillment location by the second computing device; 
 providing, by the first computing device and in response to receiving the information indicating an estimated time until arrival, a graphical user interface (GUI) that includes a first indication of the estimated time until arrival, wherein the first indication is a countdown timer; 
 receiving, by the first computing device, a second communication indicating that the second computing device has arrived at the order fulfillment location; and 
 updating, by the first computing device and in response to receiving the second communication, the first indication to a second indication that the second computing device has arrived at the fulfillment location, wherein the second indication is a count-up timer, 
 wherein the first indication continues to be presented in the GUI until the second communication is received at the first computing device regardless of whether the first indication reaches an end time. 
 
     
     
       2. The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the GUI further includes graphical indications of drive-up orders and in-store pickup orders for users associated with a plurality of computing devices, wherein the plurality of computing devices includes the second computing device. 
     
     
       3. The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the graphical indications of the drive-up orders and in-store pickup orders comprise orders that have been prepared by employees in the order fulfillment location before the users arrive at the order fulfillment location. 
     
     
       4. The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the first computing device is an employee mobile computing device of a user working in the order fulfillment location. 
     
     
       5. The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein updating, by the first computing device, the first indication to the second indication comprises presenting the second indication in a different color than the first indication. 
     
     
       6. The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein updating, by the first computing device, the first indication to the second indication comprises presenting the second indication in a different format than the first indication. 
     
     
       7. The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the first indication is displayed in a regular font and the second indication is presented in an underlined and bold font. 
     
     
       8. The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein updating, by the first computing device, the first indication to the second indication comprises presenting the second indication with an emphasis that includes at least one of: (i) italics, (ii) flashing, (iii) a change in font size, (iv) a change in location in the GUI, (v) a change in background color for an order listing associated with the second computing device, (vi) a box, or (vii) a circle. 
     
     
       9. The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the end time is 0 minutes. 
     
     
       10. The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 periodically and repeatedly receiving, by the first computing device, information indicating an updated estimated time until arrival at the order fulfillment location by the second computing device; and 
 updating, by the first computing device, the first indication based on the periodically and repeatedly received information, until the second communication is received by the first computing device. 
 
     
     
       11. The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 presenting, by the first computing device, a notification indicating that the second computing device has arrived at the order fulfillment location; 
 receiving, by the first computing device, user input indicating selection of the notification; and 
 presenting, by the first computing device in response to receiving the user input, the GUI with the second indication at the first computing device. 
 
     
     
       12. The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , further comprising updating, by the first computing device, an appearance of the second indication based on a predetermined amount of time elapsing since the second computing device arrived at the order fulfillment location. 
     
     
       13. The computer-implemented method of  claim 12 , wherein updating, by the first computing device, the appearance of the second indication comprises changing a color of the second indication. 
     
     
       14. The computer-implemented method of  claim 12 , wherein updating, by the first computing device, the appearance of the second indication comprises causing the second indication to flash. 
     
     
       15. The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , further comprising actuating, by the first computing device, an alarm based on a predetermined amount of time elapsing since the second computing device arrived at the order fulfillment location, wherein the alarm is at least one of an audible alarm or a tactile alarm. 
     
     
       16. The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , further comprising transmitting, by the first computing device to the second computing device, a notification indicating a status of preparing an order associated with the second computing device, the status of preparing the order being based at least in part on whether the count-up timer reached a predetermined threshold amount of time. 
     
     
       17. The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein a determination that the second computing device has begun to travel toward the order fulfillment location is made based on receiving information indicating a plurality of locations for the second computing device determined using a GPS unit of the second computing device, identifying a first location from the plurality of locations, identifying a second location from the plurality of locations that occurred after the first location, and determining that the second location is along a route to the order fulfillment location with respect to the first location. 
     
     
       18. The computer-implemented method of  claim 17 , wherein the second communication is generated, by the second computing device using the GPS unit of the second computing device, based on identifying a third location amongst the plurality of locations that corresponds to a GPS location of the order fulfillment location. 
     
     
       19. The computer-implemented method of  claim 17 , wherein the second communication is generated, by the second computing device, in response to receiving, at the second computing device, user input indicating that a user associated with the second computing device arrived at the order fulfillment location. 
     
     
       20. A system comprising:
 one or more processors; 
 computer memory containing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to perform operations comprising:
 receiving, by a first computing device, a first communication indicating that a second computing device has begun to travel toward an order fulfillment location; 
 receiving, by the first computing device, information indicating an estimated time until arrival at the order fulfillment location by the second computing device; 
 providing, by the first computing device and in response to receiving the information indicating an estimated time until arrival, a graphical user interface (GUI) that includes a first indication of the estimated time until arrival, wherein the first indication is a countdown timer; 
 receiving, by the first computing device, a second communication indicating that the second computing device has arrived at the order fulfillment location; and 
 
 updating, by the first computing device and in response to receiving the second communication, the first indication to a second indication that the second computing device has arrived at the fulfillment location, wherein the second indication is a count-up timer,
 wherein the first indication continues to be presented in the GUI until the second communication is received at the first computing device regardless of whether the first indication reaches an end time. 
 
 
     
     
       21. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the performance of operations comprising:
 receiving, by a first computing device, a first communication indicating that a second computing device has begun to travel toward an order fulfillment location; 
 receiving, by the first computing device, information indicating an estimated time until arrival at the order fulfillment location by the second computing device; 
 providing, by the first computing device and in response to receiving the information indicating an estimated time until arrival, a graphical user interface (GUI) that includes a first indication of the estimated time until arrival, wherein the first indication is a countdown timer; 
 receiving, by the first computing device, a second communication indicating that the second computing device has arrived at the order fulfillment location; and 
 updating, by the first computing device and in response to receiving the second communication, the first indication to a second indication that the second computing device has arrived at the fulfillment location, wherein the second indication is a count-up timer, 
 wherein the first indication continues to be presented in the GUI until the second communication is received at the first computing device regardless of whether the first indication reaches an end time.